Delovely Scrapbooks

Cricut Lite

2010-06-29T13:03:00.003-04:00

Oh, my goodness. Have I been living under a rock? How is it that 24 NEW Cricut cartridges were announced almost a month ago and I missed it??? Must be because these new cartridges are going to be sold exclusively at Wal-Mart. Trust me, it's worth putting up with Wal-Mart to get your hands on some of these cartridges.

Here is the link to see images of all the new cartridges on Cricut's website: Cricut Lite Cartridges

As the mother of 2 young boys and a cupcake baking fanatic, it was easy for me to choose my top two favorite cartridges: Cupcake Wrappers and B is for Boy.

These Cricut Lite cartridges fall somewhere between the standard cartridges and the Solutions cartridges. Each features 50 images and have the option for shadows and layers, but no other extras. They will retail for $39.99 each. Best part? We can hide our cartridge purchases on our grocery bill! Ha!

Take My Picture

2010-06-27T13:43:00.005-04:00

Clean lines are what make this layout appear so pleasant, in my opinion. I am not one of those trendy scrapbookers who is able to combine 37 different elements on one page surrounding just one photograph. I think in straight lines and tend to keep things simple. This is what works most often for me.

This layout, featuring Basic Grey's Green at Heart Collection is perfect for scrap-lifting! Anyone can copy this layout! The patterned paper is all from the collection pack, I used American Crafts textured cardstock for the title (cut with my Cricut) and journaling. To give the flower sticker a little bit of dimension, I cut the flower at the stem and attached it to the layout with a pop dot. A white gel pen and a ruler allowed me to add "stitches" around the orange block with ease.

A Day in the Life

2010-06-23T16:25:00.003-04:00

Small chipboard albums make such great gifts. Here's a sample of one for an upcoming workshop that I'm hosting. The inspiration for this album came from the Lucky Stars stickers by Scenic Route.

This album will hold 10-15 small photos. I've tucked tags behind three of the photo mats to allow room for additional photos or journaling.

The patterned paper is all from Scenic Route's Garden Grove line. The colors are bright and gender neutral making this album perfect for capturing a day in anyone's life. I plan to fill this album with pictures of my boys on any typical day--playing at home, enjoying a playdate with friends, running errands with me, etc.

Ouch!

2010-06-18T12:07:00.005-04:00

First, let me apologize for this awful photograph. I cannot take a decent photo of a 2-page layout spread to save my life. Anyone have any suggestions? Do I have to buy a scanner if I want decent images of my layouts? Probably.

The other day I spent hours finishing all but one of my unfinished layouts. Yay, me! It felt great to have a stack of completed layouts when I was done. My husband just kept making fun of me because all of the photos were from 2007 and 2008. That's my style though: scrapbook whichever photo(s) appeal to me at that moment. There's no pressure to scrapbook in order and I KNOW that I will never scrapbook all of my photos.

All products used for this layout are from Scenic Route's Liberty Kit. Scenic Route's papers are double-sided and super thick. Love this manufacturer and am still bummed that they've closed their doors.

I have many more completed layouts to share soon and at least one or two more showing off my boys' in their battered state. Ultimately I am confident that we will fill at least one scrapbook, if not more, with layouts of them wounded. Boys will be boys.

Deal of the Day Sale

2010-06-12T14:39:00.005-04:00

June is a busy, busy month! For those who aren't already on my mailing list or a fan of our Facebook page, we are offering a Deal of the Day sale every day during the month of June. Yay! Today's Deal of the Day is Cosmo Cricket's Joy Ride Kit--on sale for $8.50, regularly $14.99.

Also, my laptop broke a couple of weeks ago (the motherboard has shorts in 3 different locations) and I am currently without photo editing software. Boo! I also have to share a computer with my husband. *Gasp* Once the laptop is replaced I will share all of the projects I have recently completed including a chipboard album, a handful of cards and some layouts that have been lying around half-finished for months!

New Cricut Cartridges

2010-05-29T10:38:00.005-04:00

Eventhough I still have unopened Cricut cartridges in my craft room, I still find myself drooling over and "needing" a couple of these newly released cartridges.

Cindy Loo Cartridge. Are those cupcake wrappers that I see at the bottom??? Adorable and reason enough to convince me to buy this cartridge.

This family themed layout is from the Oh My Crafts blog and was made using the Cindy Loo cartridge.

Freshly Picked Cartridge. Celebrate the beauty of your backyard garden! This cartridge is filled with a variety of gardening odds and ends ranging from tools to gloves to seed packets. You will fall in love with the garden themed words, signs, and frames on this cartridge.

Toy Story Cartridge. With Toy Story 3 coming out next month, it is no surprise that Provo Craft jumped on the opportunity to release this cartridge. My boys are obsessed with Toy Story so I will likely purchase this one too!

The Cricut Cartridge Organizer is the the perfect way to store those valuable cartridge sets for quick and easy access! Organize up to 16 cartridge cases for easy display and organization.

How do you store your Cricut cartridges? I have mine stacked precariously on a shelf, but I see a few of these cubbies in my future.

New Release from Basic Grey

2010-05-22T17:40:00.004-04:00

Basic Grey has recently announced two new collections to being shippin mid- to late-June! These playful and sweet Oliver and Olivia collections are sure to be a welcome addition to your scrapbooks!

I can guarantee that both of these collections will be joining my own personal scrapbook paper collection.

I'm Back!

2010-05-17T14:17:00.005-04:00

Oh, my goodness! Things have been especially crazy around my house recently, but everything seems to have calmed down just a bit. My semester is finally over which means that now I have TIME to spend crafting again. Yippee!!!

I'm mostly finished with the above mini album, but I still need to order prints and add the journaling. I am ashamed to say that I am over a year behind in ordering prints right now. There just aren't enough hours in my days.

The mini album uses Scenic Route's Ashville line which is currently 30% off at my online store! The patterned paper is double-sided and quite thick. Because of this, I didn't feel the need to mount the paper to a chipboard album. Instead, I folded the sheets in half for weight (and to make pockets) and connected them all with metal jump rings.

I'm off to go work on my next unfinished project. I must have at least 15 semi-completed layouts and 5 half-finished mini albums. Oh, my!

15-Minute Layout

2010-04-04T11:11:00.005-04:00

Maybe 30 minutes--15 minutes to choose the elements and prep the page and another 15 minutes re-arranging those darn paper strips so everything is even.

We have countless pictures of our son in his exersaucer laughing and smiling. Rather than scrapbook a bunch of almost identical pictures that don't really tell a story, I chose my favorite for this layout. Now I feel perfectly okay leaving the remaining photos in their plain $2 photo album.

This was a very simple layout. I trimmed 1/2" off two sides of the white textured cardstock and mounted it to the navy blue textured cardstock. The patterned strips of paper are from Scenic Route's North Shore line--Benson, Cross Step, Duck Dive and Sunset. The buttons are from my stash of random buttons and Cosmo Cricket's Joy Ride Button Pack.

I very rarely journal in my own handwriting, but Scenic Route's White Line Background Paper makes it so easy AND reminds me why I am so sad that this company has decided to close.

And the winner is...

2010-03-22T12:07:00.001-04:00

Comment #108: Rebecca Blomer said...
Oh, and I figured out how to follow the blog, too. You know I am already a fan on FB. :)

March 22, 2010 10:48 AM

Thanks to random.org!!!

Operation Write Home -- Bloghop!

2010-03-20T09:01:00.011-04:00

If you are not yet familiar with Operation Write Home, this awesome organization collects handmade greeting cards from crafters all over the United States and ships them to troops overseas for them to use to write to their families back home.

If this is your first stop in today's bloghop, please take the time to return to the start of the hop HERE.

Welcome! The new Kioshi line from Basic Grey has been calling my name since it arrived last week. The colors and patterns are perfect for spring! I used four different patterned papers as well as chipboard embellishments from the Kioshi Collection for this all-occasion card.

My reason for making cards for OWH is simple: I would love my husband to send me cards when he is deployed so I am sure that there are many other family members who feel the same way. I especially love to include Any Hero notes with each package as I want to do my part to make sure that every service member knows his/her sacrifice and devotion is very much appreciated.

Here's a picture of my hero and I from his commissioning ceremony a few years ago. He has proudly served our country for the past 13 years and is currently training away from home to prepare for an upcoming deployment. Love you!

Now time for some Blog Candy! These are a few of my favorite things--Tombo liquid glue, American Crafts envelops, brads, buttons, glazed brads, paper frills and chipboard!!! To enter to win, just leave a comment. Easy! If you follow the blog, leave a second comment and if you decide to become a Facebook Fan, leave yet another comment. The winner will be chosen using random.org on Monday!

If you'd like to help by making some cards of your own and sending them to OWH that would be great! Keep in mind that the deadline for Mother's Day cards is April 1--this is the date that they must reach the shipper.

Next up is Lori's Purple Giraffes. I LOVE Lori's card. She has included a step-by-step video demonstrating how she made her card. I need to learn a few techniques from Lori!

Basic Grey -- ALL on Sale!!!

2010-03-18T10:14:00.006-04:00

Just in case you have not yet signed up to receive my promotional newsletter, I wanted to let you know that our entire stock of Basic Grey is 20% off through March 24. This includes the brand NEW Kioshi & Green at Heart Collections.

The Kioshi Collection is sophisticated in design, yet I think it will also be perfect for all of the upcoming spring and Easter pictures we are all sure to take.

A crafter can never have enough buttons on hand. Am I right? The lovely pastel colors in this button pack coordinate perfectly with the entire Kioshi line.

The Green at Heart Collection is described as fresh and fun. I could not have said it better myself! These colors and patterns are making me very impatient as I wait for the grass to return to green and the flowers to bloom locally.

Flowers and cute little critters are the highlights of this chipboard sticker pack.

This is my favorite new stamp set! The Tree Hugger Bitsy Stamp Set is too cute and I think some thank you cards have just been added to my weekend's to-do list.

Happy Day

2010-03-11T10:54:00.005-05:00

Finally! I had the chance to dive into one of the new paper packs from Cosmo Cricket. It was difficult to choose which collection to open first, but I finally decided to go with Joy Ride. This simple card was made using one of the Cut-Apart Element Cards, a thin strip of patterned paper and the coordinating Joy Ride Buttons. The felt ric-rac is by American Crafts and just happens to match perfectly!

Junior Clipboard

2010-03-03T10:34:00.005-05:00

Here is another project using the Junior line from American Crafts mady by Michelle! In my opinion, one can never have too many altered clipboards! You can usually find these for a dollar at any office supply store. Add some patterned paper (Mod Podge is the perfect adhesive for large surfaces), ribbon and you have yourself a finished project in under an hour.

Lunchbox Notes

2010-03-02T11:45:00.003-05:00

In celebration of National Craft Month, Fiskars is featuring a new craft everyday. Check out today's Project of the Day featuring these cute Lunchbox Notes.

Next week is my spring break from school so I hope to accomplish some serious crafting on my week "off"...it's never really time off as the mother of two. I can't wait to tackle my stacks and stacks of photos and put some of the new Basic Grey and Cosmo Cricket kits to work!

A Roaring Good Time

2010-02-24T12:57:00.003-05:00

The birthday party is over (yet my house is still full of balloons and dinosaurs)! Time was not my friend in the week leading up to the party so I was only able to complete about 1/2 of the projects I had planned. AND, my silly husband forgot to take pictures of some of the things I did finish. Oh, well.

I purchased a pack of solid color party hats from Party City once I found that colorful digital kit mentioned in the previous post. My handy Xyron 510 was the perfect tool to apply adhesive to the dinosaurs that I cut out to embellish the hats.

Photoshop is my friend, but I am FAR from an expert. I figured out how to make this simple panel using the digital kit. This made customizing the basic goodie bags super simple!

The balloons attached to the chandelier in our dining room remains my favorite birthday party decoration to date! How cheap and easy is this? Blow up some balloons, tie some colored curling ribbon to the balloons, attach to the light fixture and you're done! Festive and pretty for about 50 cents!!!

The birthday boy wearing his party hat and covered in frosting. The perfect way to end a party!

Dino*Roar

2010-02-17T18:16:00.002-05:00

My son's fourth birthday is coming up this Sunday. I purchased some American Crafts dinosaur paper (from the fabulous Junior line), but still needed some more dinosaur "stuff". A quick Google search led me to this adorable digital scrapbooking kit!

Dino*Roar kit from Eden Lane Designs.

I am, by no means, a digital scrapbooker, but I am finding this kit very user friendly. For $4.50 I was willing to take my chances and I have been pleasantly surprised! I have yet to actually make anything, but I've printed up a bunch of dinosaurs in different sizes and am about to spend my evening cutting them out while watching American Idol and the Olympics. Can't wait to share the finished birthday party projects with you soon!

60% Off Coupon at Michaels

2010-02-11T12:52:00.005-05:00

This coupon is good for 60% off your purchase of one item at Michael’s Arts & Crafts store. See coupon for exclusions. Coupon is valid through February 13th.

Happy Shopping!!!

And the Winner Is...

2010-02-07T09:54:00.004-05:00

Comment 31, thanks to Random.org.

Congratulations, Heather!!!! I have sent you an email with the details. Thank you to everyone who participated and keep an eye out for new projects and contests!

Enter to Win a NEW Cosmo Cricket Kit!!!

2010-01-27T15:38:00.006-05:00

In celebration of all the wonderful new products being released by our favorite manufacters this week, I'm doing a giveaway!!! (Be sure to send the link to friends who might want the chance to win a free kit too)

Cosmo Cricket has released 3 new collections! *insert squeal of delight here* Enter to win the kit of your choice. You can enter up to 3 times, here's how:

1. Leave a comment telling me which is your favorite of the new collections.

2. Leave a comment after you become a follower of this blog.

3. Leave a comment after you become a fan of our brand new Facebook page.

Material Girl "Filled with the tools of craftiness, antique sewing art and vintage designs, this line is sure to speak to the heart of any material girl."

Joy Ride "This line has everything you need for those summer road trip projects.... well, we aren't offering the kitchen sink, but you get the idea. If you're not planning a road trip, don't worry, Joy Ride is fun for parties, preschool and boy-life in general."

Garden Variety "Garden Variety is anything but your "garden variety." Here, the strawberries smile, the peas are friends and the chicks wear bonnets. What could make for happier projects?"

The winner will be selected at random on February 7, 2010.

Super Hero!

2010-01-25T14:06:00.004-05:00

Michelle has shared another fabulous chipboard album creation of hers with us today! We are both loving this Junior line from American Crafts!!!

The cover of the album features Radical paper, a sticker accent and a title cut using the Cricut. I particularly like the ribbon tabs. In my opinion, a project can never have too much ribbon!

The super hero stickers are so fun! Every child runs around with a cape at some point or another, right? Ta-Da! and Rock On! paper are featured on these pages.

That "Pow!" sticker makes me chuckle. My boys are at the age where they want to pretend fight all the time (as are Michelle's). Guess I'll have to pull out the camera next time things come to blows! Yay! and You're Out! paper are two of my favorites from this collection.

This album is ready and waiting for pictures of little super heroes! This last layout features Apricot textured cardstock, Tag-You're It! and Ta-Da! paper.

Junior Photo Frame

2010-01-21T11:59:00.006-05:00

While digging through some old memorabilia boxes I came across two of these old frames full of photos from high school. Since I'm 12 years removed from my high school days, I thought this was an especially good time to find a new use for these frames.

The new Junior line from American Crafts has been taunting me from across the room since the day it arrived in stock. Love it! It matches my boys' bedding perfectly--primary colors, cars & trucks theme--so it only made sense to create something they could display in their rooms.

I was hosting a crop at my house while I made this project. You all know what that means...I was doing a bit more talking than scrapbooking. :) The end result is cute, but I will do things differently with the second frame. First, I don't like the two blue blocks side-by-side. I didn't plan this project, I just began! Despite using a ton of chipboard and pop dots, I still had wanted a more 3-D effect. We'll see if I can execute that with the second project.

Supplies Used: American Crafts Junior Line (Radical paper, Yay! paper, You're Out! paper, Junior Buddy Accents Remarks Sticker Book), AC Denim textured cardstock, Basic Grey Lime Rickey chipboard accents, Basic Grey Lime Rickey glazed brad.

Seeing Stars Chipboard Album

2010-01-17T11:41:00.004-05:00

Check out Michelle's super cute chipboard album featuring the Seeing Stars line from 3 Bugs in a Rug! Described as a "simple little album" by Michelle, this album is a quick project you could make in one evening to showcase pictures of your boys.

The 8" X 8" chipboard album from Scenic Route acts as the base for this project. Personally, I love chipboard and use it constantly. Chipboard allows me to use all of my craft supplies on hand--acrylic paint, ink pads, paper and fabric!

The pre-made embellishments--stickers, cardstock design board and die cut tags--help this album come together quickly. A few sheets of textured cardstock (DCWV cardstock was used for this project) and some ribbon are all that you need to complete this fun album.

P.s. ALL of the Seeing Stars products AND the chipboard album are currently on SALE at Delovely Scrapbooks!!!! Go ahead and grab some before it's all gone!

Thanks so much for sharing this album with us, Michelle. Can't wait to see what you create next!

Calling All Moms of BOYS!!!

2010-01-15T22:04:00.005-05:00

Have you seen the Junior line from American Crafts? I love it! As the mother of two boys, I am always adding bright, primary colored scrapbooking goodies to my collection. This line is my current favorite. I have a fun home decor project floating around in my head that I plan to work on tomorrow night at a scrapbooking crop. I'll share with you all as soon as it's complete!

Can you ever have enough stripe patterned paper? American Crafts Radical Paper

8 Different sheets of cardstock stickers! Junior Buddy Accents Sticker Book

This patterne is perfect for any sports-themed layouts. American Crafts Tag-You're It Paper

Introducing...

2010-01-15T10:15:00.004-05:00

my newest "team" member, Michelle!!! Michelle will be sharing some of her super cute projects here from time to time using various supplies from Delovely Scrapbooks.

I asked Michelle to write a brief introduction and I'm very impressed that she was able to write just 2 sentences. Maybe I just talk to much. Hmm.

"I'm a 28 year old stay at home mom who is a devoted twin mommy and proud police wife. I love to craft and create about, for and most importantly with my three guys!"

Michelle has already submitted her first project to share and I will be sure to post pics and details tomorrow!

Star Ornaments

2010-01-10T15:09:00.003-05:00

My boys have a small Christmas tree that we let them decorate on their own. It has brightly colored lights and cheap-o plastic bulbs. Nothing fancy at all. Next year I want it to include a bunch of handmade ornaments--made by them and a handful made by yours truly.

I found these rustic, metal star ornaments at Michaels this year for $1.29 each. I grabbed 12 or 15 thinking I would decorate them and sell at craft fairs. Instead, I decided to cover a few for us.

This one is covered in Basic Grey Figgy Pudding paper that I had leftover from 2 years ago. The ornaments are only 5" X 5" or so which makes this a great project to use up some of that scrap paper stash that we ALL have on hand.

I used my Tombo Mono Adhesive (my favorite liquid adhesive) to attach the paper to each section of the star. I cut out the center embellishments from one of the scrap pieces of paper and attached them with glue dots.

This ornament is definitely going on the boys' tree. I used the super cute Basic Grey Lime Rickey paper pad. I can't wait to find time to make a few more of these for their tree. Fortunately, I placed the ornament box just inside the attic door (which is in my craft room) so I can easily add to our ornament stash throughout the year!

Holiday Mini Album

2010-01-09T13:19:00.003-05:00

Yes, I know that we are approaching mid-January and I am still posting holiday projects. Better late than never, right? Frankly, I'm going to be working on my holidy projects throughout 2010 in an attempt to complete ALL of them this year!

Here's a quick mini album that I made using the Fancy Pants Bracket Book set. The finished album size is approximately 5" X 5". It's such a quick project (I made 2 of these in under an hour) so it's a perfect gift for the grandparents!

I used Folk Art Enamel paint to "ink" the edges of the album. All the patterned paper is from Scenic Route. I thought the paper was adorable, but needed just a little something extra. Stickles to the rescue! Glitter glue makes everything better.

I have just a couple of additional holiday projects that I will share over the next few days then I will focus on highlighting the newest product additions to my store: Basic Grey Origins and American Crafts Junior. Yay!

Creative Month & Origins

2009-12-27T21:06:00.004-05:00

Eventhough I have not been scrapbooking as much as I would like this month, I have been crafting and creating almost constantly. I hosted four gingerbread house workshops with my playgroup and my boys (ages 3 & 4) made these adorable houses!

I have also completed Christmas cards orders for four customers totalling over 250 cards. Did I make my own cards this year? No. I "cheated" and ordered photo cards from Shutterfly. However, I do not feel guilty at all. Last year I never mailed cards...I only managed to address the envelopes!

New in stock is the Origins Collection from Basic Grey. I cannot wait for things to slow down a bit so that I can make something with this delicious new paper collection!

Making Memories

2009-12-12T14:30:00.004-05:00

December is our month for making memories...not too much preserving of memories taking place at the moment. We'll be back in the swing of things soon! I am working on Ali Edwards' December Daily scrapbook, but mine is organized to cover 25 holiday memories as opposed to the specific 25 days leading up to Christmas. As I finish up the last of my custom holiday card orders (and my own holiday cards), I will share pics of my album.

New products are still be added to the online store weekly and I am very excited about some of the new lines and manufacturers that we will be carrying in 2010! January is the month each year where I try to do some serious scrapbooking catching up so I cannot wait to get my hands on some new merchandise.

I hope all of you are enjoying the holidays!

Black Friday BLOWOUT Sale!!!

2009-11-25T14:28:00.004-05:00

Black Friday BLOWOUT Sale begins TONIGHT at Midnight!!! With a little luck, I'll be able to ship orders as early as Saturday morning!

The VERY popular Basic Grey 2010 Calendar Kit is at it's lowest price EVER!

ALL Kits are on Sale!

ALL Albums are on Sale!

Be sure to check out the Clearance section too for even more special deals!

I am IN TROUBLE!!!

2009-11-13T18:41:00.003-05:00

Have you seen the new lines just released by Basic Grey? Oh. My. Goodness.

Here is my absolute favorite, Basic Grey Origins:

And the card kit is fabulous! I LOVE the owl card.

Sugar Rush is pretty cute too!

Chipboard Album Kit available for purchase!

2009-11-08T14:25:00.003-05:00

The Halloween chipboard album kit pictured below is now available for purchase! Instructions with pictures included. Kit also includes: Cosmo Cricket blackboard album, 4 sheets of American Crafts double-sided cardstock, American Crafts Vinyl embellishments, ribbon, Doodlebug Paper Frills & brads.

Chipboard Album Kit on sale now for only $9.00

More Halloween Fun

2009-10-25T12:56:00.003-04:00

Jumbo clothespins make perfect little gifts for just about any occasion. I completed a number of similar clothespins for a craft fair that was rained out last weekend. Bummer! Well, I guess I'll just be "forced" to use these to display cut Halloween photos of my own children now.

To make these, I simply paint the wood clothespins with acrylic paint. Strips of patterned paper are trimmed to small rectangles and I round the corners. Ink the edges of the paper and adhere using Tombo Mono Adhesive (my favorite!). Ribbon, flowers, brads, chipboard, vinyl, etc., all make excellent additions!

Supplies used: Patterned Paper (American Crafts: Boogieman and Howl), Chipboard (American Crafts Halloween), Paper Accents (K & Co.), Flower (Prima), Ribbon (Offray and American Crafts).

Halloween Chipboard Album

2009-10-09T19:44:00.004-04:00

This new line from American Crafts has been calling my name since it arrived in the mail. I especially love the quirky addition of the pale blue--not often seen in Halloween paper. I am so happy that I was able to steal some time and convince my 3-year-old to join me in my craft room this afternoon.

The black chipboard album is from Cosmo Cricket and one that I have used for a number of different seasonal albums. The black chipboard is fun to play around with--I used my white gel pen for details on many of the layouts.

The coordinating vinyl A.C. embellishments were perfect for this project. I have plenty left over and I cannot wait to use them on my next altered project.

Supplies Used: Patterned Paper (American Crafts), Chipboard Album (Cosmo Cricket), Paper Frills (Doodlebug), Brads (Basic Grey), Ribbon (American Crafts, Offray)

Lovely Ribbon

2009-10-05T19:11:00.003-04:00

Who doesn't love ribbon? A good friend of mine is not only addicted to paper crafts, but she also makes the cutest hair bows! Check out these adorable bows using American Crafts Pumpkin Ribbon Spool #2, Spool #5 and yellow ric rac.

Nutmeg from Cosmo Cricket

2009-10-01T21:57:00.005-04:00

I need more Cosmo Cricket paper like I need a hole in my head. Do you think that will prevent me from ordering this new line once it is available? Nope!

American Crafts Halloween

2009-09-30T19:40:00.004-04:00

I just received my American Crafts order today and I cannot wait to begin creating fun Halloween projects with their new line of paper and embellishments. Since I have not yet had the chance to make anything cute to share, I went searching for some inspiration. Check out these adorable projects created by others.

Never before have I been interested in purchasing one of these ATC holders, but this has changed my mind! I MUST buy one of these! This halloween countdown spinner was created by NAKscrap over at TwoPeas.

I have a collection of unfinished birdhouses from various craft stores and I know that I want to find the time to make at least one spooky house this year. Look at this haunted house from snowballsmom also found at TwoPeas.

I LOVE the use of die cut bats for roof tiles! Genius.

This would make a perfect teacher's gift--these are individual brownies created by danni reid. Too cute!

P.s. All of that fabulous ribbon finally arrived and I'm working on getting it all uploaded to the store.

Thank You Basic Grey

2009-09-21T11:45:00.003-04:00

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Basic Grey for this new 2010 Calendar Kit. Without it, I do not think I could guarantee that both my parents and my in-laws will receive a handmade Christmas gift this year. Because of it, I am 100% confident that I will FINALLY be able to complete handmade gifts for both of them in time for the holidays.

The kit is very similar to Basic Grey's wonderful card kits. It includes all of the die cut pieces, chipboard shapes, stickers and rub-ons that you need to complete a beautiful 12-month calendar. Each month's layout includes space for a photo.

I've almost completely sold out of the first round of calendars that I purchased and I'm off to immediately purchase more. Be sure to get your hands on one (or ten) of these as quickly as you can as I am almost positive that they will be hard to come by pretty soon.

Ribbon and LOTS of it!

2009-09-04T12:03:00.004-04:00

I just placed an order for over 2,400 yards of ribbon. Yes, you read the correctly. Look for all of this yummy ribbon to show up in my online store in 1-2 weeks once it has arrived.

Thank goodness these are all 15-yard or 25-yard spools of ribbon. I find it particularly difficult to part with portions of those tiny 3-foot spools of ribbon I find at the local craft stores. Now I can set aside a few yards of each new ribbon for myself and still have plenty left over to share with the rest of the world.

Now I must come up with some creative ways to display all of these 25-yard spools of ribbon heading my way. Suggestions are welcome!

Baby Hugs

2009-08-24T19:05:00.005-04:00

Look! Another scrapbook layout! I figured I should really start using all of my delightful scrapbooking products that I have on hand instead of saving them for some future layout.

I fell in love with Basic Grey's Lime Rickey as soon as it was released. I used 3 sheets of paper and one sticker element from the 12 X 12 Collection Pack, one sheet from the 6 X 6 Paper Pad as well as embellishments including the Glazed Brads and Chipboard. Purchasing the smaller paper pad was such a great idea, if I do say so myself. It allows me to use additional patterned papers on my layout without cutting in to one of the full 12 X 12 sheets. (This is much less expensive).

The title of this particular layouts says it all. I still need to look up the exact date that these pictures were taken and add that on the orange patterned paper block to complete this layout, but I think you get the idea.

Supplies Used: Patterned Paper (Basic Grey), Textured Cardstock (American Crafts), Chipboard (Basic Grey), Brads (Basic Grey).

This Boy...

2009-08-15T10:57:00.003-04:00

I give up! I have really tried to avoid the trend of only scrapbooking one photo on a layout, but I can't do it any longer. I now understand why so many have been scrapbooking this way. You have total freedom to design and decorate your layout almost any way you'd like. Instead of balancing my photos, I strive to balance my fun patterned papers and embellishments in a way that the photo still remains the main focus of the layout. Too fun!

Speaking of patterned paper, the paper used here is from Scenice Route. I used paper from the Metropolis line: Johnson Street, Carter Drive and Main Street. I hand cut all of the little circle embellishments and adhered some with foam pop dots for dimension. Rub-ons provided a quick title and journaling solution. After adding all of these elements I still felt like something was missing. I grabbed my handy Black Precision Pen and drew some quick lines. Complete!

Supplies Used: Textured Cardstock (Bazzill Basics), Patterned Paper (Scenic Route), Rub-ons (Daisy D's), Black Pen (American Crafts).

Lemonade Card Kit

2009-08-05T13:16:00.003-04:00

My love of the card kits from Basic Grey continues. Here's just one of the cute cards from the Lemonade Card Kit.

I have been so busy opening new wholesale accounts and ordering lots of new product for the store that I haven't had much time to complete any layouts of my own. I have at least 6 layouts near completion--most are just waiting for journaling. Hopefully I'll be able to steal some time for myself to finish the layouts soon!

Basic Grey Product Release

2009-07-28T11:04:00.003-04:00

No more teasing, Basic Grey has finally released their four new product lines. Yay!!!! Not only do I love the collection packs, but I especially love that each product line also has a coordinating card kit. These card kits have become my new best friends. If I continue making cards at this rate I might actually have enough cards on hand to send out to all of my friends and family next year.

Indian Summer

Eerie

Nook and Pantry

Eskimo Kisses

Everything excpet Nook and Pantry is expected to begin shipping in late August. I cannot wait!

Fancy Pants Sneak Peek

2009-07-21T10:43:00.004-04:00

With CHA just around the corner, all of my favorite manufacturers have begun to release their product previews. How exciting!!! Here are some pictures of Fancy Pants' new collections. I cannot wait to get my hands on the Rough & Tough line of products--perfect for those 3,000 photos of my boys just waiting for me to scrapbook!

Rough & Tough

Dancing Girl

Little Sprout

Trick or Treat

Christmas Magic

Visit the Fancy Pants blog to see samples made with all five of these new collections.

CHAS 09 Sneak Peek from Cosmo Cricket

2009-07-15T14:37:00.003-04:00

Everyone knows that I love, love, love Cosmo Cricket. I was so excited to stumble upon their CHA Summer sneak peek on their company blog. I absolutely cannot wait to get my hands on these new product lines.

Earth Love Collection

The Boyfriend Collection

Jolly by Golly Collection

Which of these collections is your favorite? I think that I'm going to have to choose Earth Love. We have so many outdoor photos and this collection is perfect for those as well as many of the baby photos I have yet to scrapbook.

Check out additional photos of these new Cosmo Cricket products HERE!

Lime Rickey Card Kit

2009-07-09T14:27:00.003-04:00

I absolutely LOVE the card kits that Basic Grey has added to their product line. For $15, the kit includes everything you need to complete 8 cards (plus envelopes and extras). The rub-on pack that came with the Lime Rickey card kit had so many extra rub-ons that I was able to add sentiments to the inside of most of my cards plus some cute images for other projects. You can purchase this card kit from my store HERE. The Wisteria card kit is also avaiable and the Lemonade card kit will be added to my store at the end of the week!

Coming Soon

2009-07-08T17:38:00.002-04:00

Sorry it has been a while since I've shared anything new. My family took a vacation and I feel like all I have been doing since we've returned is laundry and cleaning. I have a number of layouts *almost* finished and will post something new tomorrow. Also, my Basic Grey order is set to arrive this week with the new Lemonade line and I CANNOT wait!!!

Ouch

2009-06-20T12:14:00.004-04:00

As the mother of two young boys, I recently figured out that I had better just begin albums devoted to their injuries. I don't know how many times the two boys have been playing happily together one minute and the next minute someone is screaming and bleeding. I'm shocked out how quickly (and how often) these random ouchies occur. Clearly I did not grow up with brothers in my family.

Once again, I used Cosmo Cricket paper on this layout. The Hello Sunshine kit is just so perfect! I used a ruler and my white Signo pen to make the faux stitching. I covered a chipboard piece from the Buck Naked chipboard shape pack from Cosmo Cricket, of course. I have 3 of these chipboard packs on hand in my stash and use these pieces all of the time.

Supplies used: Cosmo Cricket (patterned paper, chipboard), Bazzill Basics (textured cardstock), Making Memories (letter plates), Signo (white pen).

Desktop Frame

2009-06-08T14:30:00.003-04:00

Here's a gift I made for a woman in one of my playgroups. She's expecting a little baby girl soon! Any chance that I get to make something girlie, I take.

The base of this project is the Amanda ribbon frame from Creative Imaginations' Bare Elements line. This line of chipboard is wonderful. Since it is a smooth, white base you don't need to do any prep before adhering your paper and embellishments. I used my pigment inks to ink around the edges, but this step is not necessary if you do not have inks on hand.

Supplies used: DCWV (patterned paper), Doodlebug Designs (chipboard letters & shapes), American Crafts (ribbon)

Circle Time

2009-06-04T11:31:00.006-04:00

Recently it seems that every paper craft project I complete has circles--chipboard, patterned paper, brads, etc. I'm going to have to go scraplift someone else's layout in an attempt to break this new habit of mine!

This layout is no exception to the circle rule. Despite now owning TWO Cricut machines, I cut all my circles by hand and used found objects as my templates. This has more to do with the fact that I created these pages at my kitchen island (while my boys played in the next room) than anything else.

Supplies Used: Bazzill Basics (textured cardstock), DCWV (textured cardstock), Cosmo Cricket (patterned paper, sticker), Doodlebug Designs (chipboard letters), Offray (ribbon)

Wish List

2009-05-30T19:13:00.003-04:00

Why is it that most of us scrapbookers feel the need to always buy new products? I have a few thousand sheets of paper on hand at any given moment yet I'm always purchasing more. I seem to collect chipboard products--albums, embellishments, etc. Yes, I do use them regularly, but not as fast as I buy them.

Here are just a few items that are currently on my wish list. I think that my next two wholesale purchases for my online store will be from Maya Road and Fancy Pants Designs...

The Summer Soriee paper kit from Fancy Pants Designs is a MUST HAVE!!! We try to spend as much time outside during when the weather is nice and I'm always taking pictures. I'm going to need at least 4 of every sheet of paper.

To say that I'm addicted to coffee is putting it mildly. My daily mocha is my happy place. Most people have a room or an outdoor location that makes them feel calm and at peace. For me, it's an iced Starbuck mocha--no ice, no whip. On the days I don't visit Starbucks, I most certainly brew some coffee at home. Naturally, I NEED this chipboard album.

It's sparkly and lime green. Need I say more?

We take approximately 3,000 pictures a year. This storage case from Cropper Hopper holds 2,000 photos. Awesome.

If this Corner Chomper from We R Memory Keepers works half as well as the Crop-a-Dile it will be worth every penny.

So, what's on YOUR wish list?

Basic Grey New Release

2009-05-28T16:51:00.003-04:00

Just what I need, more Basic Grey product lines to covet. I am in love with Lemonade and can already see the cute layouts and paper bag albums in my head. These two great new product lines should begin shipping mid-June! I can't wait!

Memorial Day Bloghop 2009

2009-05-23T12:15:00.003-04:00

Please take the time to start at the beginning of the Memorial Day Bloghop 2009 . There are over 100 blogs participating!!! Bloggers from all over the United States and abroad are posting a card and sharing why THEY chose to participate in honoring our nation's heroes. CFH's Mission: To support our nation’s armed forces by sending blank greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them.

As soon as I heard about this weekend's bloghop, I knew that I HAD to participate. My husband has been serving this great nation for almost 12 years in the Navy...with many more years of service still in his future. During his last deployment, he was lucky enough to receive letters of encouragement and support from complete strangers. He still has these letters with other memorabilia from that deployment. It is only fair that I return the favor and make a card for another service member to show that we are supporting him/her back home. I plan to make supplies available at all of my future crops for my friends and fellow scrapbookers to make cards that I will then pass on to CFH.

Supplies used: Bazzill Basics (textured cardstock), Scenic Route (patterned paper, stickers, chipboard), Offray (ribbon), ColorBox (pigment ink), Fiskars (border punch)

Next up on the blog hop is Lucy's Cards. Lucy is from across the pond and she does absolutely beautiful work! Anyone would be lucky to receive a card from Lucy!

New Cricut Cartridges!!!

2009-05-21T15:58:00.002-04:00

Provo Craft has a bunch of new Cricut cartridges that are expected to begin shipping in June. Check them all out at Custom Crops! Below are sneek peeks from Stamping Solutions and Home Decor 2. I am also very excited about the military themed cartridge, Stand & Salute...although I was unable to locate a non-copyright protected image to share with you all.

Now I just need that darn Expression to show up on my doorstep, especially since I've already sold my original Cricut to a good friend of mine!

Yet Another Paper Bag Album

2009-05-18T18:54:00.004-04:00

I had every intention of scrapbooking some family layouts this weekend, but I never managed to find enough time for that. Instead, I completed another custom order for a paper bag album. It's a good thing I love making these small albums because it is all that I seem to do lately. Next up is a summer themed album for an upcoming class that I will be teaching in June.

Supplies used: Die Cuts With A View (patterned paper, textured cardstock), Bazzill Basics (textured cardstock), Scenic Route (chipboard), Making Memories (brads), Cricut (die cut letters)

Scenic Route

2009-05-17T12:09:00.004-04:00

My Scenic Route order arrived on Friday! Woo hoo!!! I am so happy to have my hands on that Metropolis line again. With two little boys and summer just around the corner, I cannot have enough lime green, blue and orange paper on hand.

I have not yet made any samples of my own (too many custom scrapbook orders to fulfill first) so I did the next best thing. I found samples made by others to share here! All images can be found on the Scenic Route layout ideas site.

My new online store is almost ready to launch as well. I've been uploading products like a mad woman in all of my "free" time. I'm still not 100% sure that I like this particular e-commerce host, but I'll go with it for now. The Scenic Route Metropolis kits will be available to order on my current site tomorrow.

Baby Girl Paper Bag Album

2009-05-11T17:38:00.005-04:00

Paper bag albums make perfect gifts! A friend of mine ordered this particular album to give as a gift to her sister who just had a baby girl. We all know that new mom won't have too terribly much time to scrapbook these next few months, particularly if she values sleep! Now all she will have to do is print some precious photos and add a little journaling to this otherwise completed scrapbook.

If you would like to place an order for a custom paper bag album (prices are generally between $20-35 for an 8" X 8" album), send me an email!

Cricut Expression

2009-05-09T14:27:00.002-04:00

I finally broke down and purchased an Expression today. I found a decent deal at Oh My Crafts plus they are running a 15% off Mother's Day special. Woo hoo! I cannot wait to cut out some vinyl wall clings for my boys' rooms. Now I have to sell my small Cricut to help pay off this new purchase of mine...not to mention continue my IRW clearance sale.

Egg Hunt

2009-05-06T12:58:00.003-04:00

Scrapbooking in order has never been a priority of mine, but I do find myself scrapbooking "in season" the majority of the time. With all of the cut spring paper and embellishments, I felt the need to scrapbook some spring photos...from 2007. I have enough photos leftover from this particular Easter to create at least 3 more 2-page layouts. Hopefully I will get to those this weekend!

Supplies used: Die Cuts With A View (patterned paper, textured cardstock), Bazzill Basics (cardstock die cut border), Doodlebug Designs (stickers), Cricut ( die cut letters)

National Scrapbooking Day

2009-05-02T14:18:00.002-04:00

What are you doing to celebrate?

My parents are just leaving town today so I have not had any time to focus on my scrapbooks or my business for this last week or so. Later tonight I hope to complete a layout and figure out my first couple of wholesale orders--Basic Grey & Maya Road. Scenic Route and GCD Studios will come next. I think I need to lock myself in my craft room for a month and get caught up on everything!

Spring Paper Bag Album

2009-04-20T13:54:00.003-04:00

Finally! I am posting those promised paper bag album photos. Took me long enough, I know. Next time we have a sunny day, I am going to have to retake these photos. In the not so swell lighting that I have to work with, the colors look just a tad funky. Oh, well.

I hosted this workshop on Saturday and we had so much fun! Everyone's completed albums turned out beautifully, which always makes me happy. I love to be able to send everyone home with a completed project. Now all they have to do is add their pictures!

Here is one of the interior layouts. The pattern paper on the left was so pretty that I couldn't bring myself to add any extra photo mats. A vertical photo without a mat will look perfect on this page by itself.

Supplies used: Die Cuts With A View (patterned paper, textured cardstock), Making Memories (brads), Jolees (flowers), Prima (flowers), Scenic Route (chipboard)

Snapfish Print Sale

2009-04-16T11:47:00.002-04:00

Snapfish is not my favorite place to order prints online, but it does the trick for all of those everyday photos I take...thousands a year. Through April 18th, they are offering your choice of two free gifts with purchases of 50 prints or more. Woo hoo!

Details:

Hop to it -- this offer ends Saturday, April 18!

Just order 50 or more 4" x 6" prints and choose a free gift: 50 more 4" x 6" prints for free with coupon PRINT50 (must place at least 100 prints in cart) or 4 sets of free wallet prints with coupon WALLET50.

Already used these coupons? Dont worry, you can use both a second time!

Snapfish

Thank You Card

2009-04-12T12:22:00.003-04:00

My husband killed the camera battery again (we use the same battery for our DSLR and our digital video camera), but not before I was able to snap a few pictures of some of my projects.

I cut the flower pieces out of solid cardstock using my Cricut and then stamped the pattern on each petal. For me, this is thinking outside the box. I don't buy too many stamps mainly because I only see their obvious use. Women who sit down and create elaborate projects using their stamps in creative ways intimidate me. I now feel like I got my money's worth out of this oval shaped background pattern stamp having found two uses for it!

Supplies used: Bazzill Basics (textured cardstock, brad), Die Cuts With A View (patterned paper), Rubber Soul (stamp)

Ongoing Clearance Sale

2009-04-11T14:31:00.002-04:00

My efforts to clear out my "old" inventory is taking up so much of my crafting time...not to mention the fact that two of the tables in my craft room are covered with stacks of merchandise for customers. Customers have been emailing their orders daily and having me just add to their stacks. It's going to be like Christmas for some of them when they receive their boxes filled with all of this scrapbooking goodness! If you want to get in on this clearance, here's the link to my website. I'm hosting a Shop & Crop on April 25th to finish the sale. I guess whatever is leftover after that event will end up on Craigs List & Etsy. I can't wait to start fresh!

Paper bag album pictures will be posted tomorrow. My camera battery is plugged into the wall right now otherwise I would take pictures and post immediately!

Craftster.org

2009-04-06T10:22:00.004-04:00

This website is my new obsession. You can find anything and everything on here. A girl in my fiber crafts Meetup group shared a link to this CRAZY crochet project.

Here's the link to this project.

And how cute (and odd) is this place card holder???

Here's the link to this fun project. There's a tutorial you can follow to make your own!

I'm about 1/3 done with a new paper bag album project. I hope to finish it tonight and post pictures tomorrow evening. I've also opened my own Etsy store. I'll post the link once I have more than 2 commercially made products for sale! I have to take new pictures of some of my handmade items that I plan to list for sale first.

A Cute Gift, Right?

2009-04-03T11:19:00.003-04:00

I finally finished these three items to give to a dear friend of mine who had her third child a couple of weeks ago. I can never make something for a new baby until that baby is born. What is up with that? In this case, we didn't know the gender in advance so that makes sense. Still, I guess I am somehow inspired by the actual birth despite the fact that I'm 3,000 miles away and will be lucky to meet this child before he starts grade school.

Not wanting the two little girls to feel left out, I altered these jumbo clothespins so they can display pictures of themselves. I didn't want everything to be about the new baby.

Next on my paper crafting "to-do" list is a layout for myself. It's been over a month since I've finished a layout for my own albums which is just wrong! I recently received an order of 200+ pictures from August-September 2008 so I certainly have plenty to scrapbook.

Today's Sale Item of the Day

2009-03-25T09:40:00.002-04:00

Here's today's sale item of the day over at Delovely Scrapbooks. The regular price for this item is $15.99. The sale price (today only) is $8.99!!!

SALE, SALE, SALE!!!

2009-03-22T15:22:00.002-04:00

In an attempt to clear out the "old" and start with my new business venture, I am going to have a huge SALE!!! On my regular scrapbooking website Delovely Scrapbooks I will announce a new sale item or kit of the day EVERY DAY until everything is gone! This special sale starts tomorrow at 9:00am EST.

Sugar & Spice

2009-03-17T18:18:00.002-04:00

I just love these jumbo clothespins. I am making two to give as gifts to a childhood friend of mine to display pictures of her two daughters. She recently had a baby boy and for that occasion, I am making a paper bag album. Having two boys of my own, I must have enough boy scrapbooking supplies on hand to make 50 boy scrapbook albums.

Supplies used: K & Co. (paper, stickers), Bazzill Basics (flower), Prima (flower)

Ribbon Mess

2009-03-12T19:04:00.002-04:00

My messy craft room has been driving me crazy for weeks. The other night, I finally decided to tackle the first tiny project (while watching recorded episodes of General Hospital)...my ribbon mess! It had gotten completely out of control.

What did I learn from this experience? That I cannot buy more new ribbon! Oh, I have two other small baskets (like the white one on the right) full of other ribbons and fibers in addition to what is pictured here. I use ribbon all of the time, but I have to stop randomly picking up spools of ribbon every time I go into a craft store.

I'm pretty darn close to having the rest of my craft room organized...finally. I definitely need a few more storage pieces because right now I have stacks (well-organized stacks) of items that have no home.

Oh, and I fell in love with a fabric at Joann's the other day so I purchased a yard to act as my color inspiration for the room. I cannot wait to coerce my husband into painting my craft room for me. I wonder if I will have to fill the keg finally or if I can bribe him with just a 6-pack or two.

Disbelief

2009-03-10T09:10:00.004-04:00

Last night I returned home from a scrapbooking crop in a pretty cheerful mood. Then I checked my email. I Remember When has closed up shop. What!?! I've been a fan of this company since attending the big scrapbook convention held in Bellevue, WA back in 2003 (the Making Memories box of buttons is the item that specifically hooked me that year). Not to mention that I've actually been an instructor with the company for the past 2+ years...and loving every second of my "job"!

So, what do I do now? My instinct is to just return to running my own individual business--wholesale accounts with a few vendors, focus on pre-made items, classes and kits. There are a number of other direct sales companies out there, but none of them speak to me the way IRW always has. I may like the products carried by one, but not the company structure. What to do, what to do...

Thoughts? Suggestions?

Oh, a BIG thank you to IRW/Xyron for not going the Scrap In A Snap route of going out of business. I'd much prefer that everything shut down on excellent terms. Yay!

Happy Day

2009-03-08T13:48:00.003-04:00

I issued a card challenge in my Meetup group and felt compelled to participate as well. It was a simple challenge: make a new card using ribbon. One of my good friends has a birthday coming up so I wanted to make her a card. Let's hope I remember to mail it to her...I am awful at mailing things on time.

Do you like the ruffled ribbon? Originally, I was going to staple it to create this look. However, two things bothered me: 1. I didn't want to see the staples on the inside of the card and 2. I would have to go find the stapler. Instead, I used my Xyron tape runner on the back of the ribbon and then folded the ribbon to make it look like this.

Supplies used: Memory Box (card), Inkadinkado (cupcake stamp), American Crafts (patterned paper, stripe ribbon), Stampin' Up (rub-ons), Ranger Ink (glitter glue)

Camera Straps

2009-03-06T14:49:00.004-05:00

It's the little things that make me smile. These camera straps most definitely make me smile!

I found this one here for $18.50.

This one is reversible. Woo hoo! Here's the link.

1900

2009-03-05T14:55:00.004-05:00

1,900...that's the number of pictures sitting on my external hard drive waiting to be edited, uploaded to Shutterfly or Mpix, waiting to be printed. Oh, dear. Can you say overwhelmed??? That's most certainly what I'm feeling right now. Do I need to mention the 2,000 photos in photo albums or boxes that need to be organized and scrapbooked? I might as well give up now.

Thank goodness I am not someone who believes that every single photo must be in the scrapbook. I do think that they all need to be edited and printed, however. It is going to take me FOREVER to edit these photos. Maybe my boys will be especially "un-cute" this month and I won't feel the need to take a few hundred photos to add to our collection. Maybe we'll just stay home and potty train my stubborn little Nathan. How many photos can we take of him sitting on the potty, right? (That's where he is right now)

Leave me a comment telling me how many photos you have just waiting for your attention...especially if you have tons. Misery loves company.

A Funny Thing Happened

2009-03-03T07:47:00.003-05:00

When I go into a scrapbooking store or to a convention, I always love it when the product displays include at least a few completed samples. My favorite scrapbook store in Washington (which went out of business--tax evasion, I think, but that's a different story) had handmade layouts displayed everywhere! They weren't the crazy, expensive layouts you see in magazines today, but layouts made with real pictures and supplies we can all afford.

For my display on Saturday, I made sure to bring a handful of completed samples. The picture below is a sample I made when we lived in Florida--18 months ago, maybe longer. I always had it on display near my Cosmo Cricket chipboard and occasionally I would sell an item or two. I loved making this project and always assumed others would as well. It wasn't until Saturday that my assumption rang true. I sold it all!

I Survived!!!

2009-03-01T16:25:00.003-05:00

The 12-hour crop was a blast! I completed a whopping 2 pages for my 2006 Christmas album. Mind you, I was there as a vendor and demonstrator so I'm happy I had the chance to make anything. I sold a decent amount of I Remember When items and generated a lot of interest in my upcoming workshops. Success! Overall, I was disappointed by the number of no-shows, but since I was not the organizer I didn't really have any control over this. I can't wait for the next opportunity to show off IRW and our excellent line of products! I'll post a few pictures later tonight once my kids are sleeping.

Oh, today my husband officially became an old man...he turned 30 and is very depressed by this. I just reminded him how hot Brad Pitt looked in Troy and he was 40 at the time. I'm not so sure this made him feel better. :)

My Other Excuse

2009-02-25T13:48:00.002-05:00

Look who turned 3 on Saturday!!! My little one (who is a whopping 10 1/2 months behind my big one) turned 3 over the weekend and we devoted our entire Saturday to celebrating this occasion. I have to make some thank you cards for him to send out so maybe I can squeeze that in tonight after the 9-month-old goes home...I'm just bursting with free time, can't you tell?

Opportunity

2009-02-25T13:22:00.002-05:00

I have a spectacular opportunity this weekend--a 12-hour crop on Saturday!!! I will be a vendor at this event and I'll also have the chance to teach a class and hold some demonstrations. Since I Remember When is not yet popular in this area, this will be a great opportunity to share our product line with others. I'm also hopeful that a few of the attendees will join my local Meetup group in order to attend future crops and workshops.

Since I'm spending this entire week preparing for Saturday's, I probably won't have a project to post until Sunday or Monday. Wish me luck with the crop...who is going to deliver a Starbucks iced mocha to me about 6 hours into the event anyway?

Dream Craft Rooms

2009-02-20T11:22:00.003-05:00

Since my craft room has not yet been "done"--meaning it has not yet been painted, decorated and perfectly organized--I find myself drooling over pictures of other people's craft rooms. Check out this HGTV link
. There are some beautiful craft rooms on this site!

I think this is my favorite. It wasn't the one that jumped out at me first, but I think it is the most easily obtained considering the white storage pieces I already own. I love, love, love the pops of red!

WHEN I finally redo my craft space, I absolutely promise to post before and after pictures. It's going to be a month or two from now, I would guess since we absolutely must paint and decorate a bit more on the main level of our house first.

My New Online Store!!!

2009-02-19T15:05:00.002-05:00

It's about time, right? Here's the link to my new online store. The first 5 people to place a qualifying order ($35 or more) by March 31, 2009 will receive a free package of Cosmo Cricket rub-ons. You must enter my store through the link in this post to be eligible. Happy Shopping! Oh, and there's a huge amount of inventory on sale right now while quantities last.

You Make My Heart Sing

2009-02-14T07:43:00.004-05:00

Here's my Valentine's Day card for my other son. This is such a girly holiday and for this reason, I think it is now my favorite! I have to keep this post short and sweet because it is time for me to go make strawberry pancakes for the boys and cut them into heart shapes. Yay!

Supplies used: *I have no idea who makes the red cardstock I used for the card--I've had it for years* K & Co. (patterned paper), Die Cuts With A View (patterned paper), Ranger (glitter glue)

My Little Cupcake

2009-02-11T10:11:00.003-05:00

It's almost Valentine's Day and while this isn't much of a holiday, it's still a great excuse to make a few cards for the people that I love. This one is for my 3-year-old son. I figure that I don't have too many more years to enjoy being able to make sparkly pink cards for him.

Supplies used: Die Cuts With A View (card), Bazzill Basics (textured cardstock), K & Co. (patterned paper), Making Memories (metal clip), Ranger (glitter glue)

Valentine's Clothespin

2009-02-06T13:21:00.003-05:00

These jumbo clothespins are so much fun to embellish. They also provide me the opportunity to use some of my acrylic paint--I have tons! My boys are going to take a Valentine's Day photo this year (so long as I remember) and I thought this would be perfect to hold that picture. Don't you just love the little stitched "XO"? I thought it was cute.

Supplies used: Die Cuts With A View (patterned paper), Bazzill Basics (textured cardstock, flower, brad), American Crafts (felt flower, ribbon)

Valentine's Craft #1

2009-02-01T16:00:00.003-05:00

Have you seen these adorable mini mailboxes at your local Target??? They are only $1 each! I immediately purchased 10 and am thinking I need to go back and buy more. We are using this as one of our Valentine's projects for the paper crafts workshop I'm hosting this week. Too cute!

Supplies used: Die Cuts With A View (patterned paper), Bazzill Basics (textured cardstock), Prima (flower), Doodlebug Designs (velvet brad), Studio G (rubber stamp), Cricut die cut machine

Xyron Sale!!!

2009-01-31T17:10:00.003-05:00

For just $75 (plus shipping & tax), you can purchase the following bundle:

Design Runner (Reg. Retail $99.99)

Design Disc Maker (Reg. Retail $74.99)

Design Runner Accessory Kit (Reg. Retail $21.99)

AND (1) Design Disc of your choice (Reg. Retail $29.99-34.99)

**If you are interested, please let me know ASAP. I have to send the order in first thing Monday (Feb. 2) morning at the latest.

The Xyron Wishblade is also on sale for $299...that's $100 off retail!

100% Boy

2009-01-31T15:16:00.005-05:00

I have not reached my goal of 31 layouts in 31 days. I gave it my best, but life just got in the way. I am pleased with the number of layouts that I've completed for myself. It seems like I spend so much time making class samples, items to sell and items ordered by others. This months was the exception! In total, I've only completed 5 class samples this month. Woo hoo! However, I only have one workshop on the calendar for February and that number is about to increase so it will be back to "work" for me very soon.

I love these pictures of my son. He is always doing silly things and it makes me happy to scrapbook these everyday photos. I have thousands of everyday photos still to scrapbook, but I don't let that take away the satisfaction I feel every single time I complete a layout for one of our family albums.

Supplies used: Bazzill Basics (textured cardstock), Colorbok (patterned paper), K & Co. (3-D stickers, rub-ons)

The Love of Starbucks

2009-01-24T18:46:00.003-05:00

Yay, I scrapbooked today! These pictures are from 2006 and show my youngest cultivating his love of Starbucks at a very young age. I love him!

This was another simple layout...I am all about quick and easy these days. Prior to this layout, I can't even remember the last time that I used stickers for a layout title. Whatever works to get the job done!

Supplies used: We R Memory Keepers (patterned paper, stickers, rub-on), Bazzill Basics (cardstock)

Seriously?!?

2009-01-23T12:48:00.002-05:00

I injured my elbow over the weekend...my RIGHT elbow. Today is the first day I've been able to comfortably write again. No scrapbooking has taken place since my mysterious injury occured seeing as how I could not bend my arm, lift it up to the table, grasp items, etc. Lovely!

I have a scrapbooking crop tomorrow afternoon at my house so hopefully my elbow will continue to feel better and I can quickly try to catch up a little. Next Saturday is the end of the month and I need to reach my 31 layouts/projects in 31 days goal!

The Men of Xyron

2009-01-23T09:40:00.003-05:00

This promotional video for Xyron most certainly had me laughing. Thought I'd share...

The Men of Xyron

Incomplete

2009-01-21T13:44:00.003-05:00

This layout is still missing its journaling. I have yet to find the perfect blue in my huge stash of paper for the journaling. A quick trip to AC Moore should fix that, but I'm not taking both boys with me. I've decided to just upload the photo without the journaling and cute 3-D embellishment that will also be on the journaling block.

The journaling will be added to the right page, next to the two horizontal photos. This was a simple layout. All I had to do was cut out some circles using the patterned paper from Cosmo Cricket's Cogsmo line and ink the edges of the solids and patterned papers.

Supplies used: Bazzill Basics (textured cardstock), Cosmo Cricket (patterned paper, die cut letters)

No More Simple Scrapbooks

2009-01-16T08:30:00.002-05:00

It's official, another magazine will cease publication due to these difficult economic times. Here's the official announcement.

Personally, the loss of this particular magazine makes me sad. Whenever I pick up a srapbooking magazine (Simple Scrapbooks excluded), I find it filled with beautiful layouts that have one perfect picture on them. The layouts are covered in tons of expensive and/or time-consuming embellishments. While there is certainly a place for this type of scrapbooking, let's be realistic. Do we all have that kind of time and money to devote to this hobby? My family takes approximately 2,000 pictures a year. I do not scrapbook every photo, but I do intend to scrapbook a significant portion of those photos in order to tell the story. Simple Scrapbooks spoke to the majority of scrapbookers. It spoke to newbies and seasoned pros looking for renewed inspiration. It has helped keep us focused on scrapbooking our photos and telling our story without the pressure to create extravagant works of art with each layout.

I look forward to seeing the new section in Creating Keepsakes in the summer to see if it really stays true to the Simple Scrapbooks message.

Sleepy Baby

2009-01-15T18:10:00.002-05:00

Very rarely do I scrapbook pictures from different days on one layout. These four pictures of my son sleeping were taken on separate days and with two different cameras. I found it quite frustrating trying to scrapbook all of them together. No one color united the photos and I still think something is missing. Oh, well.

Supplies used: K & Co. (patterned paper, stickers), Die Cuts With A View (patterned paper), Bazzill Basics (textured cardstock), Basic Grey (chipboard), Making Memories (brads)

Fabric Heart

2009-01-12T12:43:00.002-05:00

In an effort to combine my fiber craft interests with my paper crafting, I made this card. I covered the chipboard heart in a funky fabric that I've had on hand forever. This is a great use for all of that scrap fabric (and paper) that I always seem to have on hand.

Supplies used: Die Cuts With A View (patterned paper), Cosmo Cricket (chipboard), Memory Box (card)

Newly Released

2009-01-11T21:56:00.003-05:00

So far January has been an exciting time to be with I Remember When. Our new website was launched last week and this week our new online store goes live. Yay! Finally, all of my friends and family all over the country will be able to purchase items directly from me 24/7!!!

The following pictures are just a few samples of the new Fancy Pants Designs we are carrying in our January supplement. We are also now carrying Sassafrass Lass. Their items are adorable! To download the full supplement, just visit my regular website .

Fancy Pants Arctic Chill--just one of the adorable sheets of paper in our paper kit.

I love rub-ons! Here are the coordinating Arctic Chill rub-ons.

A sample from the Splendid line.

Coordinating Splendid rub-ons.

Believe

2009-01-11T12:56:00.004-05:00

I'm back to the Christmas 2006 album. I have so many pictures from this Christmas that I think I could do all 31 January layouts just for this album. I won't, however, because that would be too boring for you!

You may have noticed that I do not journal on these 6" X 12" layouts. When I make an entire album for one event using this size album I do full-page journaling instead. The first layout in the album will be "the story" for this particular Christmas album. So many of my pictures are essentially the same--the boys exploring and opening their gifts--so there is no need to repeat the journaling on each individual layout.

The cute patterned paper needed a little glitter glue to make it just perfect! I love scrapbooking Christmas pictures.

Here's a close-up of the K & Co. die cut.

I love these little chipboard pieces. All I had to add was a little bit of Stickles glitter glue to make them sparkle.

Supplies used: Die Cuts With A View (textured cardstock), K & Co. (patterned paper, die cuts, chipboard), Ranger (glitter glue)

More In Stitch'z

2009-01-08T19:50:00.004-05:00

My love affair with Bazzill In Stitch'z continues. This is another awful photo. That's what happens when my day is too busy to take the pictures by sunlight. Maybe tomorrow I'll have a chance to retake these past few photos so you can see what the projects really look like. I'm not holding my breath.

I love In Stitch'z. I cannot wait to use my two newest sets of templates--a birthday set and the circles template. Anyway, this is a very simple card using some cute, glittered paper. I am horrible at sending family and friends cards so one of my goals this year is to make up a bunch of all occasion cards to have on hand for next year. So, family & friends, look forward to cards in 2010!

Supplies used: Die Cuts With A View (card, patterned paper), Bazzill Basics (textured cardstock, In Stitch'z template), JoAnns (ribbon), DMC floss

Curiosity

2009-01-08T19:05:00.003-05:00

Oh, if you've ever met my oldest son, you know that he is crazy. He's fearless. My father-in-law once suggested we bring him to the doctor to have him tested to make sure that he can feel pain. He was less than 18-months-old when my FIL made that suggestion. This layout is a perfect example of the result of Ian's fearlessness.

Supplies used: Bazzill Basics (textured cardstock), Cosmo Cricket (patterned paper, die cut title, rub-on), Fancy Pants Designs (chipboard)

My Apologies

2009-01-06T10:15:00.003-05:00

These last two pictures have most certainly not been the best. Sorry! Also, sorry I haven't been able to post once a day. I promise I will have a total of 31 new projects posted this month total.

This is another 2-page layout for my 6 X 12 Bazzill album. I love this size layout! I am working on my Christmas 2006 album right now so you will likely see lots of 6 X 12 layouts this month.

Supplies used: Die Cuts With A View (textured cardstock), K & Co. (patterned paper, die cuts), Heidi Grace (sticker), Ranger (glitter glue)

An Excuse to Use Glitter

2009-01-04T19:55:00.005-05:00

As the mother of two boys, I don't get to use glitter nearly as often as I'd like on my scrapbook layouts. Since this is a Christmas layout I feel free to use glitter AND flowers. Woo hoo!!!

Supplies used: Die Cuts With A View (textured cardstock), K & Co. (patterned paper, die cuts), Heidi Grace (flower, brad, chipboard), Ranger (glitter glue)

Snuggle Time

2009-01-02T21:07:00.004-05:00

2 for 2! Woo hoo! Tomorrow's layout is going to be a challenge since I can't get to my craft room (the hallway that leads to the craft room is being tiled tomorrow). Worst case, I promise to make up for it on Sunday with 2 layouts.

This layout is of my first sweet baby the day after my second sweet baby was born...in 2006! I do not believe in scrapbooking in order; instead I scrapbook whichever pictures grab my attention when I sit down to scrapbook. Usually, I grab one of my MANY photo albums and just flip through it until a group of photos interests me.

Supplies used: Bazzill Basics (textured cardstock), K & Co. (patterned paper, stickers, rub-ons), Doodlebug Designs (letter rub-ons)